Best Beth Berila Podcasts (2025)

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Being (y)our Authentic Selves: Countering Anti-Trans Attacks & Supporting Trans Communities with Teo Drake & Alex Kapitan 59:33

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14d ago59:33

59:33

Trans communities are being targeted in deeply inhumane ways in this cultural moment. How did we get here and what can we do to support trans communities? In this powerful and timely episode, Teo Drake and Alex Kapitan offer insightful context for how, when, and why the current attack on Transgender communities arose. They trouble the disinformatio…

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From Post-Conflict Reconstruction to Democratic Dialogues 31:55

15d ago31:55

31:55

In this episode, we talk international post-conflict reconstruction, foreign aid, and domestic public policy dialogue with Dr. Naazneen Barma, a member of the External Advisory Board of the CT Collaborative. Barma is the founding Director of the Doug and Mary Scrivner Institute of Public Policy at the University of Denver (DU) and is a professor in…

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Becoming Agents of Spiritual Possibility: Living Yoga Practice with Susanna Barkataki 48:07

28d ago48:07

48:07

In this episode, Susanna shares about her new book, Ignite Your Yoga: How to Live, Practice, and Teach as an Authentic Yoga Steward. We discuss her journey in writing this book and her first one, Embrace Yoga's Roots. Yoga is a practice for self, community, and for a better world. We talk about how yoga philosophy, traditions, and practice can shap…

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Practicing Negotiation: Tools for Skill-Building 32:05

29d ago32:05

32:05

In this episode, we bring you a panel discussion with two practiced negotiators. In January, the CT Collaborative and MiddCORE each planned to bring an expert in to help build student skills - and so we decided to put our two visitors in conversation with one another. Morgan Gaskin Thomas is Managing Director and Americas Lead for Accenture’s Resol…

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Companions in Process: Interdependence in Climate and Disability Justice with Naomi Ortiz 50:06

1M ago50:06

50:06

In this heartful episode, Naomi Ortiz explores their art as a spiritual process of listening to the land, grief work, and the difference between interdependence and mutual aid. As we discuss their new book, Rituals for Climate Change: A Crip Struggle for Ecojustice, we explore what disability justice offers the climate justice movement and what roo…

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Conflict Past and Present: History, Memory, and the U.S. Civil War 36:21

2M ago36:21

36:21

Today’s podcast features historian Connor Williams, Middlebury Class of 2008.5. We explore the role of history and memory around the US Civil War and the way in which historical narratives inform our ability to tackle contemporary conflicts. Connor shares his experiences in community dialogues across the United States and lessons for engaging in di…

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Polyvagal Theory and Intergenerational Trauma of Historically Marginalized Communities with Niloufer Merchant and Devika Dibya Choudhuri 57:13

2M ago57:13

57:13

We discuss the deep value of Polyvagal Theory for showing us how social connection impacts mental health and overall wellbeing. We explore how to apply Polyvagal theory to intergenerational trauma of historically marginalized groups. Our guests discuss what ancient wisdom and collectivist cultures have long known about community support and regulat…

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Fiction as a Pathway to explore History and Conflict 56:45

2M ago56:45

56:45

In this episode, we bring you a talk from Ava Homa, the first Kurdish woman writer to publish a novel in English. In September 2024, Homa spoke at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey. Professor Sharad Joshi provides an introduction. Homa is an acclaimed author, speaker, activist, and faculty member at California State Uni…

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Fierce Vulnerability, Healing Trauma, and Collective Liberation with Kazu Haga 46:56

2M ago46:56

46:56

In this episode, Kazu Haga shares how fierce vulnerability can guide social justice work as it supports the healing of both individual and collective traumas. Injustice, he notes, is a manifestation of trauma, which cannot be fully healed on individual levels. Instead, we need to work with the collective trauma of families, groups, cultures, and so…

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Support and Challenge: Higher Ed's role in fostering constructive conflict skills 41:36

3M ago41:36

41:36

In this episode, Teyonce Allison ’25 talks with Professor Jonathan Miller-Lane. Professor Miller-Lane, known affectionately as “JML,” teaches education studies at Middlebury and is a facilitator in the Engaged Listening Project, a professional development program for faculty and staff. Prof. Miller-Lane discusses his upbringing in various countries…

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Becoming Dragons: Contemplative Practices for Transforming Toward Wholeness with Ericka Echavarria and Maria Hamilton Abegunde 55:10

3M ago55:10

55:10

In this episode, we talk conjuring, contemplative emergence, and embodying justice. We explore the challenges of higher education and how contemplative practices can support us in remaining aligned with who we are and move us toward wholeness. This spacious episode also includes a practice, alongside laughter and inspiring reflections. Ericka Echav…

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Coming Home to Our Wholeness: Practices for Justice in Higher Education with Michelle C. Chatman, David W. Robinson-Morris, and LeeRay Costa 58:06

3M ago58:06

58:06

This deliciously spacious conversation with three Contemplative and Activist beings/scholars/practitioners explores how we can embody wholeness even in the troubled systems of higher education. Restore your spirit connecting with Michelle C. Chatman, David W. Robinson-Morris, and LeeRay Costa as they talk about their new anthology. Share stories of…

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Radical Imagination & Practices for Collective Liberation with Hala Khouri and Tessa Hicks Peterson 38:20

4M ago38:20

38:20

Hala Khouri and Tessa Hicks Peterson talk about the anthology they edited, Practicing Liberation: Transformative Strategies for Collective Healing and Liberation, Reflections on Burnout, Trauma, and Building Communities of Care in Social Justice work. We explore radical imagination, healing from trauma, and collective care in the work of individual…

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Protest, Conflict, and Lessons from Interfaith Dialogue 1:00:21

6M ago1:00:21

1:00:21

At the end of 2024, we mark the end of Laurie Patton's tenure as president of Middlebury by sharing her reflections on conflict transformation, protest, and higher education. In September, President Patton sat down with Eboo Patel, president of Interfaith America, as part of their programing on Teaching Interfaith Understanding. Their conversation …

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Structured Dialogue & Higher Education 45:24

6M ago45:24

45:24

In this episode, Sarah Stroup talks with Meg Griffiths, director of programs at Essential Partners (formerly the Public Conversations Project). Founded in 1989, Essential Partners (EP) uses a reflective structured dialogue approach to help people communicate across deep differences in identities and values in order “to address communities’ most pre…

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Embodiment and Improvisation: from Dance to Conflict Transformation 37:04

6M ago37:04

37:04

Today, we bring you a conversation with Susan Sgorbati, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College. In conversation with Lida Winfield, the undergraduate pillar head of the CT Collaborative and dance professor, Susan shares insights from her journey as a dance artist and educator, and how the principles of dan…

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Beth Berila - Building Compassionate Communities with Mindfulnesss 26:21

7M ago26:21

26:21

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Everyday Peace at Home and Abroad 29:43

7M ago29:43

29:43

What does peace look like for ordinary people, and how we can create metrics of peace that reflect those things that people value? In this conversation, we bring you audio from a May 2023 talk by Peter Dixon, a member of the CT Collaborative's External Advisory Board and a Middlebury alum. Peter Dixon is an Associate Professor of Practice in Negoti…

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International Education, Learning, and Conflict 42:04

8M ago42:04

42:04

What is safety? What is comfort? How does learning happen in an immersive, international setting? How do we foster meaningful relationships with host communities? In this episode, we talk about those questions and more with Dr. David Wick. Wick is Associate Professor and Program Chair in International Education Management at the Middlebury Institut…

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"We live with love for each other" - Hindu and Muslim Women in Middle-Class India 32:19

9M ago32:19

32:19

In this episode, Caroline Harding ’24 interviews Professor Jennifer Ortegren, associate professor of religion at Middlebury and a 2022 CT faculty grant recipient. Ortegren is author of Middle-Class Dharma: Women, Aspiration, and the Making of Contemporary Hinduism (2023, Oxford University Press), which examines the intersections of gender, religion…

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Transforming Campus Conflicts 41:10

9M ago41:10

41:10

At the beginning of the fall semester, we invite you to join a conversation about conflicts on college and university campuses. This episode was recorded late in Spring 2024 and features some of our Conflict Transformation (CT) interns - Mandy Berghela, Teyonce Allison, Agnes Roches, and Caroline Harding - and Sarah Stroup, the CT director and coll…

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Campus Conflict: Lessons from a Speaker Shutdown 55:55

10M ago55:55

55:55

At a time when campus conflict and protest is in the national spotlight, we revisit an important moment for Middlebury College - the March 2017 visit of Charles Murray - through the voices of ten Middlebury students. This episode was created in 2019 and hosted by Sarah Stroup. She interviewed a group of students with different experiences and persp…

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Addressing Conflicts in Tackling Poverty: A SHECP Conversation 50:17

12M ago50:17

50:17

In this episode, we talk with longtime Middlebury partner, the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP). SHECP assistant director Jen Handy invited CT leaders Kailee Brickner-McDonald and Sarah Stroup to join the "SHECP Talks" podcast to discuss how the CT lens can enhance experiential learning opportunities for students concerned ab…

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Yuria Celidwen's Vision for Indigenous Ethics and Planetary Belonging 28:59

12M ago28:59

28:59

In this heart-opening episode of ChangeMaking Connections, we immerse ourselves in the profound tapestry of indigenous wisdom with the remarkable Yuria Celidwen.By Beth Berila

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Rheanna Robinson on Reframing Disability Through Indigenous Perspectives 40:57

12M ago40:57

40:57

With us is Rheanna Robinson, an associate professor in the Department of First Nation Studies and a relentless advocate for disabled members in the Indigenous community—a community that doesn't even distinguish "disability" in their language.By Beth Berila

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Njeri Clement's Vision for Inclusive Education 51:00

1y ago51:00

51:00

In this episode of ChangeMaking Connections, we delve into the rich tapestry of diverse experiences and cultural wisdom with Njeri Clement.By Beth Berila

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Democratic Decline and Possible Responses 44:17

1y ago44:17

44:17

Democratic institutions can serve as a powerful mechanism for channeling constructive conflict, which makes a recent wave of democratic decline particularly concerning. In this episode, we hear from Sebnem Gumuscu, associate professor of political science and head of the undergraduate "pillar" of the CT Collaborative at Middlebury. Gumuscu is an ex…

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Queer Dharma: Yoga, Activism, and Healing Spaces with Jacoby Ballard 39:03

1y ago39:03

39:03

Join us on ChangeMaking Connections as we bend towards justice and stretch the bounds of acceptance - your presence is a gift.By Beth Berila

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Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in the Balkans 51:09

1y ago51:09

51:09

On today’s episode, we are excited to share a story of an experiential learning opportunity for exploring peacebuilding and intercultural competence (ICC). The CT interns lead a conversation with professor Thor Sawin. At the time of recording, Sawin was associate professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and has si…

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Mediation: Transforming Relationships to Reshape Global Conflicts 41:52

1y ago41:52

41:52

As we have started teaching "Conflict Transformation Skills" at Middlebury, we have been fortunate to have a leading global mediator as a guest speaker and teacher. Francisco Diez is senior mediation advisor at the United Nations (UN). He has contributed to the UN’s efforts to foster dialogue and reconciliation in Bolivia, and provided expert advic…

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Amelia Ortega on Trauma-Informed Leadership in Multiracial Communities 56:44

1y ago56:44

56:44

In this poignant episode of ChangeMaking Connections, the remarkable Amelia Ortega guides us through the intricate tapestry of trauma consciousness and the power of group narratives in healing intergenerational wounds.By Beth Berila

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Kamilah Majied on Embracing Hope and Agency in Justice Work 53:34

1y ago53:34

53:34

In this episode of ChangeMaking Connections, we explore the profound intersections of hope, suffering, and the relentless pursuit of joy with the inimitable Kamilah Majied.By Beth Berila

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Uniting Voices: Pratima Gurung's Intersectional Approach to Advocacy 40:09

1y ago40:09

40:09

On this transformative journey at ChangeMaking Connections, our paths intertwine with the formidable Pratima Gurung—a symbol of collective and collaborative leadership.By Beth Berila

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Restoring Justice, Cultivating Hope: A Scholar Practitioner Conversation 43:30

1y ago43:30

43:30

Restorative justice, transnational activism, and communication across cultures are all spaces in which conflict transformation can inform the long work of social change. In this episode, restorative justice leader sujatha baliga and civil society scholar Sarah Stroup discuss the foundations of their work and its connection to the CT Collaborative a…

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Bridging Communities: Keri Gray's Mission for Disability and Racial Equity 53:42

1y ago53:42

53:42

Today, we have the honor of hosting a powerhouse of advocacy and resilience, Keri Gray. Keri is not just a survivor, but a ceaseless champion for change.By Beth Berila